Tara Gavin

Paving Her Own Way

by Sheila Turner-Hilliard

Photography, www.KatieBorsuk.com

Thanks to Alpha Century Security of Newtown Square for sponsoring our Resident Feature.

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This month we are pleased to introduce you to Newtown Square resident Tara Gavin: A loyal, dedicated and compassionate daughter, friend and nurse whose determination and perseverance have enabled her to achieve so many of her life goals.

Tara spent her early childhood in Secane and Ridley where she attended Our Lady of Fatima grade school. Although her parents divorced when Tara was a young girl, they were both very active and involved in her upbringing. “Growing up, I played sports like softball, basketball and cheerleading, and my parents were always there to support me,” recalled Tara.

When Tara was in 8th grade, she and her mom, Jeanne, moved to a quiet neighborhood in Newtown Square. Tara attended Cardinal O’Hara High School where she played catcher on the girls’ softball team. While going to school and playing softball for Cardinal O’Hara, the Police Athletic League and Chaos travel and tournament softball, Tara worked hard to save money to buy a car.

During my freshman year, I got a job at Casey’s in Newtown Square,” she explained. “I started out bussing tables, then moved to waitressing. And after some convincing of owners Pete Crisanti and Steve Graham, I became a bartender.

Tara described herself as not exactly the “college type” of kid, and was torn about what to do after graduation. By that time, she had moved on to tending bar at Barnaby’s of Ridley. “Bartending was fun!” Tara said. “I met a lot of amazing people over the years and made great money, but I knew I couldn’t do it forever.”

What she did know for certain was that she wanted to be a nurse. Tara said that a large part of her decision stemmed from watching her mother take care of her grandmother as she battled cancer. “Even though I was a young girl at the time, seeing my mom care for my grandmother until the very end made a lasting impression on me.”

And just like that determined high school student who worked and saved to buy a car someday, Tara buckled down, continued to bartend and enrolled herself at Delaware County Community College where she earned her associate degree in Applied Science. Tara then passed her boards and became a Registered Nurse.

Tara in her newly renovated home

Photo by Katie Borsuk

But she wasn’t finished there. Tara decided she wanted to continue her education in nursing and eventually work in pediatrics. She headed to West Chester University where she earned her bachelor degree in Nursing. What would normally take two years to complete, Tara did in two semesters. Equally as impressive is that she accomplished this all on her own and graduated debt-free.

Tara’s first job as a nurse was working part-time at Wallingford Rehabilitation Center. She was still bartending to earn additional money, and hoped to land a job with Main Line Health System. Tara explained that Main Line Health was in the midst of a hiring freeze and said it felt almost impossible to get a job there.

It took some time, but eventually I was hired by Main Line Health, to work at Lankenau Medical Center on a medical-surgical floor,” she said. “After a few months, I tracked down the Manager of Labor and Delivery and told her I wanted to work on her floor.

Just a few weeks later, Tara was transferred and began working the night shift as a Labor and Delivery staff nurse. “Labor and Delivery is challenging, exhausting and rewarding all at the same time,” Tara explained. “I get to experience miracles every single night I work, and I don’t take that privilege lightly. Being a part of someone’s best day of their life never gets old.” But Tara also said that there are times when there is great sadness. “There are some shifts that I leave asking why such bad things happen to great people,” she remarked. “I’ll always remember each one of those moms and babies for the rest of my career. It never gets easier; I’ve just become better at coping.”

Tara worked as a night-shift staff nurse for fi ve years when the opportunity came up last spring for her to take on more responsibility as the Clinical Coordinator (charge nurse) on night shift. “It’s a nice change of pace,” Tara explained. “I do miss taking care of patients, but it’s great being there for my fellow nurses for every delivery.”

These days, the doctors and nurses on the Labor and Delivery floor at Lankenau are busier than ever. “The pandemic baby boom is an understatement!” She said that just last month, they delivered 286 babies including 10 sets of twins. That’s a sizable increase from their typical 250 monthly births. “Some nights, I joke that I’d rather go back to bartending, and other nights I am so proud of my team for saving the life of a newborn or a mom that I could burst into tears of joy.”

Tara Gavin, Labor and Delivery Charge Nurse at Lankenau Medical Center

Photo courtesy of Tara Gavin

While the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging in many ways, it has also shown us how communities can come together to show their support for our frontline essential workers. Tara fondly recalled a time last spring when the pandemic was at its worst. “I’ll never forget my neighbors checking in on me when things were really bad,” she said. “They wanted to know what nights I was working and how many doctors and nurses were there with me so they could send us all dinner from Bright Spot Café in Newtown Square.”

For those who live in our community, it should come as no surprise that Tara and her co-workers were well taken care of. It’s one of the reasons Tara chose to purchase a home of her own just around the corner from where she grew up. “When I graduated from college, I moved back to Ridley for a few years, but I always knew I wanted to eventually buy a home in Newtown Square,” Tara explained. “The problem was that the houses for sale there were at least twice my actual budget so I knew that I had to fi nd one that needed lots of TLC that I could work on over time.”

Remember that resourceful high school student who wanted to save for a car? And the determined bartender who wanted to become a nurse? Well, you guessed it! Tara saw the challenge as an opportunity, and made her dream come true. It took a bit of time and a temporary stay at Madison Ellis Preserve apartments, but the wait was worth it.

After some bad luck house-hunting, my mom noticed that there was a house around the corner from her that was newly vacant,” Tara explained. “We talked to the neighbors and found out that the woman who lived there was the original owner who had recently moved to Boston to live with her daughter.

Tara jumped at the opportunity, sat down and hand-wrote a letter to the owner. Eighteen months after writing that letter, Tara was a homeowner. She purchased the 1956 split-level home just around the corner from her mom. Everything was original, from the built-in wall oven with hand-dial controls, to the light-pink tiled walls in the bathroom. Tara had her work cut out for her!

The first step was cleaning up the yard and the exterior of the house. She changed the landscaping, painted the siding and shutters and replaced the roof and the gutters. “Pulling up to a home with great curb appeal makes a big difference and was the perfect place for me to start,” she said.

The next phase involved cleaning out what the previous owner had left behind. Tara said that took a lot of time and a lot of dumpster space! After that, Tara set her sights on remodeling her bedroom and bathroom, so she had a place to rest after her shifts at the hospital. “I had to sleep during the day while the contractors were working on other parts of the house. That was tough!” she recalled. “I had white-noise machines and fans going, to drown out the constant sound of drills and hammers.”

It has been two years now, and Tara is proud to say that her home has been completely remodeled. Tara’s mother Jeanne said it’s absolutely beautiful. “I love when our neighbors tell me what an amazing job she has done. I am so proud of her!”

Tara and Maverick relaxing on the front porch

These days, you’ll find Tara enjoying her new home with her friendly, loveable and furry pup Maverick. He’s a one-year-old Golden Retriever who not only steals the hearts of all the neighborhood kids, but is also known to steal your favorite socks, pillows, shoes and pretty much anything you leave behind.

Maverick is a sweetheart,” said Tara. “I always knew I wanted a Golden Retriever because I had them growing up, but I needed to wait until I had a home with a yard.

Now that the remodeling dust has settled and life is beginning to go back to normal, Tara is looking forward to getting back to meeting friends for dinner and drinks, entertaining in her beautiful home, shopping, working out at the gym and taking a well-deserved vacation. No doubt she’s earned it – the good old-fashioned way.

Do you know a Newtown Square family, individual or nonprofit group who should become known by our community? Make your nominations for upcoming feature articles by emailing your ideas to Sheila Turner Hilliard at STurnerHilliard@BestVersionMedia.com.

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